During road construction, steep shoulders or edges are often created adjacent to road surfaces, resulting in hazardous driving conditions. For example, when a new lane is to be added beside an existing lane of a roadway, the pavement along the lane boundary of the existing lane is cut vertically to remove the paved shoulder, and the ground adjacent to the existing lane is cleared and compacted, creating a vertical drop from the sheared edge of the existing lane to the ground. During construction periods when traffic is allowed to pass within a threshold distance of the edge drop, safety regulations require an edge treatment to mitigate the edge drop. For example, some jurisdictions require the edge treatment to establish at least a 3:1 grade from the existing lane down to the shoulder.
At least some known edge treatments include dirt or loose rock filled along the sheared edge to create a temporary ramp down from the existing pavement surface to the compacted ground level. Application of such edge treatment along miles of the edge-sheared existing lane at the end of a construction day, and removal of the edge treatment at the start of the next construction day to enable construction to proceed on the new lane, requires long and somewhat unpredictable periods of time. In many cases, a separate construction crew must be contracted to lay down and then remove the edge treatment each time using, for example, dedicated dump trucks and end loaders. Other construction crews and material deliveries are often kept waiting, on the clock, while edge treatment is removed at the start of the construction day. Thus, known edge treatments are a significant source of both direct and indirect delays and expense during highway construction projects.
Moreover, the process of shearing the edge of the existing lane often removes the painted white or yellow lines, spaced reflective markers, and/or “rumble strip” surfacing features that help to advise drivers of the location of the boundary of the existing lane. During construction periods when traffic is allowed to use the existing lane, safety regulations typically require boundary markers (e.g., orange pylons or barrels) arranged along the edge of the existing lane to advise drivers of the location of the boundary and edge hazard. However, edge fill does not provide a stable or level surface for placement of such boundary markers. As a result, the boundary markers typically must be placed at least partially within the existing lane itself, which narrows the space available for traffic in the existing lane and may further impact vehicle safety.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.